HomeStart

Worst thing we have done – Signed in March 2021 , was givern great talk 8 to 12 mth build well slab May 22 bricks feb 23 now waiting roof when will it ever end with rise in rents and cost of living its becoming impossible Show details

Night mare building with BGC – It’s nightmare building with homestart. Signed contract in August 2021 , settlement in Dec 2021. Pre start in Feb 2022 . Now April 2023 15% construction done ( bricklayer) Until signing contract lots of fake promises afterwards no help at all. Show details

we are finally now owning our own home – my family and I want to do a massive shout-out to Sam and the whole team at Homestart for believing in us and allowing us to finally purchase a home of our own. we have been trying for a long time and always fell short, but the home start team was confident that we could achieve our dream. Homestart has been straight up with us from the start and… Read more

always told us where we stand through the application process.

once we started the process of selecting blocks of land and house designs the Homestart team was honest about where we could live, what we could build, and realistically what we could afford. even with this process, we are still very happy with the house we have chosen and where we are moving to. The last thing you want is to be told that you can afford a massive house and then struggle to pay it off. Homestart never put us in that position and kept things real throughout the selection process

Home starts communication has been awesome with keeping us informed about what needs to be done and when. my wife and I have just finished the pre-Construction stage and everything has gone well so far. We highly recommend Homestart to anyone looking to build a new home

My experience with homestart – I started thinking about building with homestart in 2020. The team were super supportive and I was able to book to speak to a homestart agent straightaway. I spoke met Alexis Buckley-Carr who showed me and gave me a realistic idea of what I could build with my price range. Alexis was completely professional, supportive and realistic in terms of my… Read more

goals. She also was a friendly face to see when I would come into go over documentation and phone calls, she made my experience at home start such a warm and encouraging one.

There have been many delays due to Covid and the effects it has had on trades and over the past few years I have called or emailed almost every two weeks, I have always been able to get through or leave a message and though the wait has been long due to delays I have been given options and updates etc which has meant I know what is going on at all times or what will happen next.

I am getting close to the end of my build and I am happy how homestart especially the warm and kind staff has been despite the difficulties of delays!

Great prestart, Awful post siteworks – Started talking to a Homestart consultant in early november 2020 who arranged the land and build contracts (land contract accepted 26/11/20. build ready to start by 24/7/21 due to finance approval delays). The consultant assured me that I would be in my new home by the end of 2021, So far they have completed the slab (27/9/2021) and the brickwork… Read more

(26/7/2022). I have been told at each stage of the build that there is a "six month delay" for the next stage including the current stage (roofing) and have been informed of a price increase to the tune of $8600 since the build commenced. I have had 2-3 project managers and constant emails and phonecalls informing me that there are industry-wide delays. I have paid several electricity/water/rates/interest-only mortage bills whilst also paying rent for a house I should have been out of a year ago. My build is currently in limbo despite me signing every document and going to every meeting without delay. Due to delays I am currently having to move to a new rental and find a new Job. I have seen Commodore Homes (another BGC builder) start and finish builds in the same area as mine since my build has started.

Everything prior to them actually building your house is smooth and professional but even accounting for Covid related hardships and delays the actual build process has been a nightmare.

If you read the positive reviews here you will notice that the majority of them have been made post prestart but before the actual build.

I would highly advise not building a house currently but if you are determined to build then please DO NOT use this builder.

Steven Siu in Homestart in Amazing! Will use him again!! – Very friendly service, always available, I cannot thank him enough. He guided me through the entire process and teach me how to build my portfolio and wealth, cannot wait to build my second house with him. Thank you very much for the work. Show details

Absolutely Happy With Everything So Far – We have been really happy with everything so far. Simon the consultant has been great with communication and very transparent. He assisted with designing our forever home to how we wanted it. The price of the home was very affordable. The consultant made us aware of the time frames, which is understandable in current times we are living in. We… Read more

have been able to secure our our brickies, roof carpenter and roof plumbers. As this will hopefully ease timeframes. Rebecca the broker has been brilliant. We got our finances approved swiftly and avoided any sort of price increase. Tyla from admin made our pre start day enjoyable and helped us make our final choices to the home. The standard inclusions were more extensive than we originally thought. Overall it has been a great journey so far. Thanks HomeStart.

Great Start, Very Efficient – Still at the beginning of the process but service has been fantastic, My Sales Representative was considerate and helped me understand all aspects of the building process. They really do make it much easier to understand and undertake the building process. Show details ·  1

This is terrible place – This is terrible place for first home buyers or if you're looking for an investment, this people don't care about you or what you want but they care much about taking your money/deposit. Once they succeed in pressuring you in making deposit and /or take your money they will disappear without delivering any results, and they will not refund your… Read more

deposit if you refused to make decisions based upon their interest. Staff are highly disrespectful and judgmental, the worst mistakes I have made is to go to them, as a result I have lost thousands of dollars more than ($2200). I highly recommend you avoid them at all costs or if you want to save your money and time

Very disappointed! No one cares! – We signed with Homestart in may 2021. We were told 9 - 11 months full completion…this is in the middle of covid. Like many others the sales process was very good and painless. Currently we only have our slab down, and that was done in june 22, it’s now almost nov. We were told a minimum of 6 months before bricks would even start??? 12 stages… Read more

altogether and we’re only at stage 1. We’ve been paying land and water rates for at least 6 months. There are many other homes from builders like celebration, b1 homes etc that started well after ours that are now at the roofing stage, some at lockup. Why can’t the biggest builder, BGC get preferential access to supply and tradesman to move quicker? Why are new homes still being sold if they can’t keep their promises. It seems to me like they’ve over committed and under-delivered…maybe as a business strategy…very, very disappointed and frustrated.

Too much disappointed..A lot of delays and price increase – At first it was okay later on so many delays on construction and price increase .Six months to wait for construction to start after paperworks.After slab done they stop and nothing changes up to now a year passed..Didnt answer call anymore. Show details

Great Service – The sales representative was a consummate professional in all matters of the presale. He managed to match my varying requests with a cost effective , timely , well thought out solution. Many thanks. Show details ·  1

Pretty bloody good – Still at the beginning of the process but so far staff have been very friendly and knowledgable. And their office has free coffee! Every interaction with their staff has been positive, the display building is impressive and it's honestly hopeful having the backing of BGC. I look forward to seeing the completed product. Show details ·  1

Amazing Service – At age 19, this was my first home build, I was unsure of the process but excited. Jeremy Earle went above and beyond to make sure I was aware of the process and felt comfortable with any decisions to be made. I am sure he went beyond his job description required of him in order to help me through the process of buying land and securing a house plan. Show details ·  1

Excited! Can't wait!! – I'm so excited and looking forward to my new home! Homestart has been very helpful and has been wonderful at guiding me through this process. I look forward to the journey ahead. Show details ·  1

good stuff – recently signed up to a house and land package and everything is going well so far, i'm always updated on whats happening and they always answer all my questions and are so helpful. Show details ·  1

Awesome service & support by the HomeStart team- provided by Peter Dorizzi & Tyla Jane – At age 21, It was my first home build, was excited and anxious. Was fortunate to have Peter Dorzizi as my home consultant. He guided me as how a parent would through the process. Excellent service was thereafter provided by Tyla Jane with updates and follow-ups. Show details ·  2

Friendly and Professional! – We have recently signed up to a House & Land package with Homestart and so far the service has been exceptional! From day one we are very well guided by Mirza Baig who is one of their Senior Housing Consultants. This is our first house & land package so wasn't really sure how the process is going to work but Mirza explained to us everything in… Read more ·  1

detail and ensured all our queries are clarified before we signed any paper work. We had a ton of questions when we were going through our contracts but he patiently answered every single of them. He promptly responds to our emails and calls and honestly couldn't ask for more. Over all it's been a great experience so far with Homestart and hope this continues! We really look forward to beginning the build!!

A can't be better service! – I would like to appreciate Peter Allen who is from Homestart when I was dealing with him to build my first home. He offered me exceptional services and guidance throughout the meeting. I'm so glad to have him as my Homestart sales consultant, I have no hesitation in recommending Peter Allen to all my friends and family. Show details ·  1

Amazing experience with Homestart – Rafal Kilian has been Nothing but AMAZING! I would not have been able to do it with out the support and guidance of the HomeStart teams I am very thankful and grateful for helping me through the whole process, even when I couldn’t decide on the floor tiles or vinyl the team were incredibly patient and understanding. I would recommend to anyone… Read more ·  1

either your first or last home to go with Homestart!

Thanks Rafal & Homestart for making my dream come true!

Very Helpful – I am in the process of starting out . Uli has been looking after me and has been great to liaise with. Uli has helped me to find a house plan to suit and to make any changes that have requested. The finance team have also been wonderful in organising my loan etc. Very happy so far. Show details ·  1

Amazing Communication and Assistance – We are lucky enough to have Jeremy as our consultant/liaison contact. Throughout the whole process from our initial phone call last September until now, he has been super efficient, following up anything needed and even liaised with our broker in NSW when needed. He has been so fabulous we are now building a further investment property with him.… Read more ·  1

If you want personal attention and super prompt service Jeremy is the person. We have found all contact with this company to be really good and email regularly with updates.

Simon was great – The HomeStart sales rep was accommodating and professional. The sales rep worked with me to find the best location and the best plan for my needs. Looking forward to the next step Show details ·  1

A dream we didn’t know was possible! – My partner and I never thought we would own a home, but it’s been a smooth, exciting journey that’s so much more achievable than I thought! Our consultant, Daniel, has been amazing, guiding us through designs and suburbs, being very open about costs and benefits. Would recommend HomeStart to anyone looking to get into their first home. Show details ·  1

firsr home build experience – We are currently on a planning stage so far homestart has been consitent on updating us on the progress of our home build status and our building consultant has been very accomodating and helpful whenever we have questions and also she always update us on every opportunitues that we can take advantages of their company promotions.we are looking forward on our pre start stage and moving forward in to the future stage in having our own place. Show details ·  1

Very professional and accommodating – We have been dealing with Shane Cownie since the start and couldn't have asked for anyone else. He is very professional and straight to the point with our questions and expectations. We're Very happy! Show details ·  1

communications – Experience to building construction samples. Efficient communication to clients. Constant follow up to client for guidance. Open and honesty to clarify clients. Patience to listen to clients decisions. Available to attend clients in their premises. Show details ·  1

2 Years and Counting of telling myself "It's not the end of the world" – I started my journey with homestart in July/August 2020, And I must admit, the sales team were fantastic, any questions I had answered within the day, any issues I had rectified in a great timeframe, the communication was fantastic, and the sales pitch even better. Despite the pressure of "Needing to sign my contract soon as Homestart and BGC are… Read more

taking the responsible position in this climate of limiting the builds we take on to ensure we do not pass on delays to consumers".

I signed in Decemeber of 2020 and the problems started from there. While not ideal (and certainly not the builders fault) an easement that had not been communicated was found and my double garage had to be turned into a single. At the same cost, with the solution being a paved exposed external parking space. Not Ideal, But not the end of the world. The communication started to wane, those rapid replys turned into days, then weeks then on occassion not at all. Then another issue had come up, they had sold me a plan and land that were incompatible, the layout of the house was not going to work with the setback the local government had in this area. The solution was to move the house around on the block, shorten a number of rooms and hallways and reduce the backyard space, again, at the same cost as the full plan with the double garage and the full house, all of which had been severely reduced or removed under the final approved plans. Again I told myself its not the end of the world and it was out of our control.

Prestart was great, my prestart consultant was fantastic in helping me with consistency in my selections to create a consistent aesthetic, and was always ready to answer my questions, cannot fault this part of the process. The online portal is great.

By this point it was the 1st of June 2021, Final Plans were signed, Building permits had been issued and homestart marked the project as "Construction is ready to commence" and this is where the things I had marked off as "not the end of the world" had kicked in and become a geniune problem. The slab was laid late September/Early October 2021. There was functionally zero communication or any timeline for the completion of any stages of the build let alone the slab. I just happened to drive past as the block is on the way to my work and see that a slab had been poured. Homestart notified me they had 'begun the slab' 2 weeks after the slab and footings were well and truly cured. Then came the invoice, then came the price raise (Despite being told in the sales process there was zero chance, there it was, but I was aware of the building situation, wrote it off as "not the end of the world". ) This was the only communication I had recieved other than the autogenerated portal message to tell me my slab had commenced in weeks maybe even months. I had also noticed that the day the plumbing runs were done (conveniently same day the house behind me also had their runs done), That part of my fence had been literally driven over with fresh tracks from a bobcat. I raised this with homestart in september of 2021, and to this day, the 20th of July 2022 I have still not heard back from them on this matter, despite raising it on numerous occassions. So now my smaller then purchased house, with its garage half of the size, arranged on the block completely differently than how they had sold it to me, now missing half of a rear fence, would cost me the same price, aswell as the cost to repair the fence. Not ideal, "not the end of the world" i told myself.

Then came the bricklaying, 7 months on from the slab, I was not even upset with the delay, everyone was experiencing this in one way or another. However the complete disregard from homestart in their communication was disturbing. In this stage of my build, i did not hear anything from the builder beyond their "BGC Industry Updates" which I apparently signed up for, Any communication I sent to them was swiftly met with "We cannot provide any timelines or information about the progression of your build. At this stage the average wait for a bricklayer is no more than six months" and that we were "welcome to source our own bricklaying team". Almost copy and pasted non stop. The bricklaying team I recieved was one bloody hard working Bricklayer who I have nothing but respect for. He smashed the house out on his own over the course of a couple of weeks, the handiwork was great. Nothing but grateful seeing some of the other reviews about the brickwork I have seen. Bricklaying was complete at the start of April 2020, Once again homestart dutily informed me my brickwork had started 3 weeks after they had issued me with the invoice and the work was well and truly complete. Then came the contract extension of 160 Business days. Not ideal "not the end of the world".

Timber, Fascia Boards, Eave Linings etc. were all delivered for my roof work at the end of April which I thought was great and a sign of positive things to come. From April 2022 to the end of July 2022 (presently as I write this review), all of the materials have sat there exposed to the elements. Untouched. I have continually reached out to homestart for any advice as to when I can expect the roofwork to commence or any progress to have been met and If i was lucky enough to recieve a response, it was that they cannot provide any work timeframes for any phase of any project). I also reached out to them for some clarification on my electrical plans, referencing the plan and asking which data point would be my "primary" data point, The response to this was simply a "Hi XXXXXX Please see attached electrical plan to answer your query" and they attached a copy of my electrical plan which i had referenced in my original email... And then didnt reply when i sought out further clarification.

That takes us to today. Financially, beyond the obvious, this project has costed me 2 sets of annual council rates despite not being able to inhabit the property. God knows how many interest only mortgage repayments (which are only increasing every month) 1200$ of Water Bills, 500$ of Power Bills (And slowly eating into my WA Housing electricity credit, which I cannot even use as the charges I recieve every 2 months are wearing it down). And at this stage, a new fence.

All for a house that is smaller than I purchased, With a half sized garage, with half a back fence missing, all for the same cost with zero communication and delays that have meant a project I started shortly after I started university, is not even halfway done and I am close to completing a 3 year bachelor degree.

Safe to say i'm over the moon with how HomeStart have treated me and my project to this date.

For Context, House is 3x2 in an established area, Already titled, utility run ins all in place.

Fantastic Experience, Jeremy is amazing! – We have not yet completed our build, but so far the quality of service has been exceptional. Jeremy Earle was our housing consultant and he has been incredible, he walked us through exactly what was going to happen and has been available for calls and email responses at all times, any day of the week. He has checked in with us continuously… Read more ·  1

throughout the process and made sure we understood where everything was at. We cannot speak highly enough about the service Jeremy has provided. Our broker Michael has also been terrific providing plenty of detail into everything we need to know financially and keeping good contact for what is required of us. Pricing compared to other builders has is great, we have our perfect first home and something we can afford. Overall it has so far been an exceptional experience, with good support the whole way. We look forward to beginning the build!

Trinity home contract – Homestart Home and Land Specialist Steven Siu has gone above and beyond helping me prepare my home contract and prepare to apply for finance. So far I have gained pre-approval on my finance and have found a block in the area I wanted. I have completed pre-start on my home design and am really looking forward to the finished product. I got a great deal in the house with Steven's help. This is my dream for my family. Show details ·  1